Three More Little Words!
by DeadPigeon
Summary: These one-shot stories are based on three random words. Chapter 12/ White Elephants/ They both wanted to give each other the perfect gift. But what do two people, who have everything they could ever need or want, give each other?
1. Keeping Score

_I wrote this in respose to a three word challenge from HelenVanPattersonPatton. I had to use the words NINE, PURPLE and SWEATER in a story 1,000 words or less. This is what I produced. Enjoy!_

_Words: 88_

_Time of Completion: 10 Minutes_

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><p><strong>Keeping Score<strong>

_What was she doing wearing that sweater?_

_And more importantly, why did she have to wear it to work?_

_Damn it! How am I supposed to work like this?_

The tight form fitting purple cashmere sweater had no business being on her at work.  
>This would be nine…no, this would be the tenth time that something she'd worn had<br>given him a boner while he was at the precinct. She may have saved his life eight times,  
>but she really was going to be the death of him!<p>

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><p><em>This was so much fun! I will accept other three word challenges and keep this going as a collection of one shots. Just put a note in the Reviews or PM me!<em>


	2. The Scarlet Letter

_Thanks to **darkjedioftheknight **for the words, android, candy and kitten._

_Word count: 667_

_Time of completion: 30min._

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><p><strong>The Scarlet Letter<strong>

As she exited the break room she could see he was at it again. He was stuffing another  
>handful of M&amp;M's from her candy bowl into his mouth. Crap! Was she the one responsible<br>for his gradual weight gain over the past year and a half? She had gone from filling the  
>bowl up twice a month to twice a week. She thought it was everyone in the bullpen<br>helping themselves to handfuls during the day. Maybe it was just him. She was going  
>to have to remove it from her desk and hide it in her drawer.<p>

She set her coffee cup on her desk and sat down, cutting him a glance as she did.

He noticed. "What?"

"Nothing."

"I can tell by your look its something, so what is it?"

Her reply was more adamant the second time. "It's nothing."

She could tell he was about to open his mouth again to say something, when luckily her cell  
>phone rang. She pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket and glanced at the screen<br>before answerng it.

"What do you got for me Lanie?"

He was still so fixated on deciphering the meaning of her look that it was a few moments before  
>he noticed it, and when he did he had something more important to question her about.<p>

After a few "Uh-huh's and Ok's she finally hung up and he was on her in an instant

"What is that?" His eyes were focused on her hand.

"Oh this, it's my new phone."

"An Android…you got an Android?"

"Yeah."

"Woman, have I not taught you anything over the past four years?"

"Like what?"

"That I am the wizard of all things electronic. You should have consulted me. I would have told  
>you that the iPhone is the best way to go."<p>

"I'm a big girl Castle, I did my own research and I liked this one the best."

"After the salesperson spent twenty minutes talking you in to in, no doubt. Don't you realize they  
>get a bigger commission when they sell the slow movers."<p>

"They didn't push it on me Castle. I did my own on-line research first before I ever went to the store."

He just shook his head in disappointment.

"Think what you want, but I'm happy with my decision, so can you just drop it?"

"Fine, you're the one who has to live with it."

"Anyway…before you got me off track, Lanie said she's faxing me a copy of the tox report on our vic;  
>she said we would find it interesting." She pushed away from her desk.<p>

"I'm gonna' go get it off the printer, be right back."

He didn't care about the findings. He still couldn't get over the fact that she'd bought an Android. He  
>glanced at the offending phone she'd left lying on her desk. He picked it up. It would only take him a<br>second to point out some of its flaws then maybe she'd understand.

He wasn't familiar with the phone and somehow he opened up her list of contacts by mistake. What  
>he saw stunned him. She didn't, she wouldn't…how could she? He pulled out his phone and dialed hers.<p>

A picture of an adorable kitten appeared on the screen of her phone accompanied by the word KITTEN  
>below it. All the while, the sound of mewing kittens could be heard coming from the speaker.<p>

"What the hell?"

He looked up in time to catch the horrified look on her face and watched as she spun so fast on her heels  
>in an attempt to run away that she plowed into Detective Jackson and his cup of coffee.<p>

"Payback's a bitch." Was all he said when she finally returned to her desk with a huge coffee stain down  
>the front of her shirt.<p>

She knew she deserved it. If Hester Prynne could live with a scarlet one for years, then she could certainly  
>live with a brown one for a day.<p> 


	3. Blurring the Lines

_This one is for **Jayce Gish,** who suggested Prius, Bubbles and Embroider. Thanks!_

_Word count: 425_

_Production time: 40min_

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><p><strong>Blurring the Lines<strong>

He finally took delivery of his new car. He'd been at the top of the waiting list for years  
>and when they finally started production, he was stoked! Now here he was, actually<br>sitting in it and driving it around downtown New York. Everyone was gawking and he  
>loved the attention. It's not everyday you see a three wheel vehicle cruising around the<br>streets, especially not one as cool looking as the Arcimoto Pulse. It was a badass all  
>electric vehicle that could go from 0-60 in 9.8 seconds and had a top speed of 65mph.<br>The larger battery that he'd purchased with his had a range of up to 80 miles on a  
>single charge. It was the perfect commuter car.<p>

Of course, driving a cool car didn't mean that his commute would improve. He still had to  
>contend with traffic jams, and today was the same as any other. The light ahead was<br>green but everything had come to a standstill. Horns blared and people cursed, but it  
>did nothing to improve the flow of traffic. It never did. As his car idled quietly, he couldn't<br>help but notice the Prius that was stopped next to him. The guy was eying his car and he  
>was tempted to smugly flip him off. What a douche! He could have waited. Why buy foreign<br>when you could buy domestic. Plus, the Prius was a hybrid. What kind of a cop-out do you  
>call that? Hybrids! You might as well be driving a wind up toy or one of those converted<br>diesels that run on vegetable oil and spits, what was it…bubbles, no french fries out of its tailpipe.

The rant in his mind never left his lips and the Prius moved off as the traffic began to flow.  
>Maybe next time. When he pulled into the precinct's parking garage he was met by quite a<br>few of the 12th's Detectives; Ryan and Esposito were among them. Kate wasn't there. She  
>said she wanted to wait and take it for a spin after work, and he couldn't have agreed more.<br>The guys 'Oooed and Awed' over it for at least an hour. He would never tell anyone, but he  
>loved the car so much that he helped to privately finance production of the line, and even<br>contributed to the finished product. He ran his fingers across the design stitched into the  
>vehicles heavy weight dark blue upholstery. He was the one who suggested that they<br>embroider the company logo into the seats.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: In no way do I represent Arcimoto or intend to intentionally disparage the Prius. It's only a story. A story inspired more by NF than by Castle! Also thanks to The Daly Show. Don't be a douche!<strong>


	4. Writers Block

_Once again three words from_ **HelenVanPattersonPatton. **_They are: socks, frog and eyedrops._

_Word count: 1,385 (Fail)_

_Time of completion: 2hrs (more or less)_

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><p><strong>Writers Block<strong>

It was five a.m. on a Sunday morning and the light was on is his office. That wasn't  
>good. What she found in the kitchen made it even worse. Alexis hurried back upstairs<br>to wake her grandmother. She barged on into her room and roughly shook her shoulder.

"Gram, Gram, wake up!"

She received a groggy reply. "What is it?"

"It's dad. It's five o'clock and he's in his office."

She rolled onto her back to face her granddaughter. "What either of you are doing up at  
>five on a Sunday is beyond me."<p>

"I heard a noise in the kitchen. Gram, he was in there yesterday morning and late last night  
>too. I don't think he's been to bed for the past two days."<p>

"Are you sure you're not overreacting? He may just be up early with a new idea."

"I don't think so."

"What makes you think that?'

"When I went into the kitchen I found a soda can on the floor."

"And that tells you…?'

"It wasn't just any soda can, it was a can of Jolt Cola, and when I went to put it in the recycling  
>bin I found at least nine more already in there. You remember what happened the last time he<br>drank that stuff?"

"Oh dear lord! Not again." She was wide awake now. She threw off her covers, grabbed her  
>bathrobe and made a bee-line for his office with Alexis in tow.<p>

Just remembering what happened the last time made her hesitate outside his office door. The last  
>time he drank those things had been almost four years ago when he had a bad case of writers block.<br>He said the extra caffeine would "stimulate the creative process". The only thing it wound up stimulating  
>was full blown case of hyperactive insanity. Hadn't he learned his lesson? He had been permanently<br>barred from using the buildings basement gym because of what had happened. She closed her eyes and  
>slowly turned the doorknob. She was worried about what she might find this time. She had a right to<br>be worried.

There were socks mounded on top of his desk, more were strewn across the floor and others were laid  
>out in nice uniform stacks that covered his couch.<p>

"Good lord, Richard! What are you doing with all of these socks?"

His head shot up from behind his desk. He quickly bear hugged the mound of socks on his desk and pulled  
>them all off onto the floor.<p>

"Geez mother! Can't you ever knock? I'm working."

"This is working? What's going on?" Now that the socks were off his desk she could see her small sewing kit  
>sitting on the corner.<p>

"I'm working on a project; now would you please go so that I can finish?"

"If darning socks is your project, you know you can just buy yourself some new ones."

"I'm not darning socks!" He jumped up and began pacing back and forth behind his desk.

" I told you I'm working on a project. Oo…you wouldn't happen to have any buttons I could have? I've taken all  
>the ones from my clothes but most of them are too small. Do you have any old clothes you're not using anymore…<br>I bet the buttons on your clothes are bigger and..Oh,Oh..speaking of old clothes do you have anything that's black  
>or brown that you don't want. I need some pieces of fabric, I tried using some of my ties but the fabric is too shiny…<br>and green I need some green material, quick! I can't finish this project without green fabric for the frog. So go and  
>see what you can find, I'm almost finished with the others and I want to be finished by this afternoon. Damn! I still<br>have to write everyone's dialogue. Ok, maybe late this afternoon…no I still haven't practiced the voices yet…crap,  
>I haven't even gotten to the scenery and props either…where's Alexis? She can be in charge of props…Oh, and I<br>need you to get me some cardboard boxes. Shoeboxes will be ok for most things but I'm gonna need a large one,  
>about the size of a large microwave. Call Ralph with building maintenance, he can probably fix you up with one. You<br>got any paint?"

She wondered if her mouth had been hanging open for the entire monologue or if it fell open at the end.

"I'll…" She slowly backed out of the room. "…get right on that for you."

She shut the door and leaned against it.

"What's going on Gram?"

"I'm really not sure."

"Is he ok though"

"Other than an obsession with socks and the ability to talk a hundred miles an hour without blinking, he seems to be physically ok."

"Can I go in?"

"Sure, I think he said he wanted you to help him with his project."

"His project?"

"I haven't clue dear." She pushed off the door and headed towards the stairs.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to raid my collection of prescription sleeping pills. I'll spike his drink; you just keep him occupied till he falls asleep."

….

Alexis saw more than her did grandmother when she entered his office. She noticed the video camera that he had mounted  
>on a tripod, the sheet draped over his smart board and the collection of blood speckled tissues and multiple bottle of<br>eye-drops scattered across his desk. The one thing she didn't see was her dad.

"Dad?"

His head popped up again from behind his desk.

"You're here!"

"What's going on?"

"You're gonna love this!"

He rummaged around on the floor and began piling socks back onto his desk. He then pulled a few from the new pile  
>and held them up.<p>

"Check them out!"

She walked over and took one of the socks from him. Only, they weren't socks anymore…they were sock puppets.

"Sock Puppets?"

'Cool huh?"

"Why are you making sock puppets?"

"Well, I've been so busy, you know…writing the last few days, so I took a break yesterday afternoon and that's  
>when I found it."<p>

"Found what?"

"This!"

He spun his laptop around to face her and she saw that his computer was paused on a video on YouTube. He clicked  
>the arrow and the video began to play.<p>

"_Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre Presents…"_

She couldn't help but laugh hysterically at the rest of the video.

"Oh my god dad, that is so funny!"

"I know! It's what's inspired me. I've been working all night to make the puppets but I think I'm going to need you help with props."

"Sure, I'll be glad to help." She was glad to help distract him.

Martha took that moment to sweep back into the room. "I've brought both of you something to drink!"

"Mother! You're interrupting my project again."

"I was just bringing you another soda and Alexis some orange juice. It looks like you still have a lot of work ahead."

"Thank you mother, now would you go?"

"Fine, I'm outta' here." She floated back out of the room.

Alexis looked at the glass sitting on his desk. She needed to get him to drink it, and quick.

"How about we toast your project?"

"Sure." He grabbed the glass of soda.

"To success."

"Success."

She watched him drain his glass. She finished hers moments later and took his empty off the desk. She eyed the used  
>Kleenex sitting on the desk.<p>

"What's with all the Kleenex?"

"Oh, I kept poking my fingertips with the needle. Sewing is harder than it looks. Have you ever tried to thread a needle?  
>This is one time I wish I needed reading glasses."<p>

She picked up one of the empty bottles of eye-drops next to the Kleenex and shook it at him. "And the eye drops?"

"I don't know why, but my eyes have been really dry today. I've already used up two bottles. Which reminds me can you  
>run to the store and get me some more?"<p>

Yeah, it was creepy. He hadn't blinked the whole time they'd spoken.

"Sure dad, so what were you saying abut props?"

She had to distract him for about fifteen minutes before he started yawning. Five minutes later he cleared his couch and  
>sat down. Five minutes after that…he passed out.<p>

"Gram! He's out!"

"Finally!" She came back in to check on him.

"How many did you give him?"

She pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and covered him up. "The directions on the bottle said two, so I gave him four."

"Are you sure that's ok?"

"We'll just check on him every so often. As long as he's breathing, he'll be fine."

"Grams!"

"I'm just kidding."

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><p><strong>Don't fotget to submit! <strong>


	5. The Car Chase

Another one from **HelenVanPattersonPatton **The words are, hat-trick, merge and defenestration

Words: 765

Time to complete: 40 min.

**The Car Chase**

He'd done it again. He'd just screamed like a little girl as their car almost wound up  
>merging into an eighteen wheeler as Kate cut across three lanes of traffic to follow<br>their suspect down an off ramp. He hated car chases. It didn't have anything to do  
>with her driving…that was fine in itself, but it was the unpredictability of the drivers<br>around them that could wind up getting them killed. He'd tried closing his eyes, but  
>that only made him nauseous. So there he was, holding on to his armrest for dear<br>life and trying his best not to scream again as they chased after three gang-bangers  
>wanted for the murder.<p>

There was never supposed to be a car chase. They'd gone in with a tactical team and a  
>warrant, but someone must have tipped them off because the apartment was empty.<br>He was the one who noticed the newly lit cigarette burning a hole in the carpet on the  
>floor. They couldn't be far. The search was quickly expanded. Officers were sent to check<br>the neighboring buildings and alleyways. It wasn't long before someone got a hit. The  
>officer was running as he called it in.<p>

"North…they're heading…north…down the west…side alley!"

Kate jabbed him in the arm and they ran for her car. She headed west and then north  
>hoping to pick them up at the other end of the alleyway. They spent a precious minute<br>cursing at a delivery vehicle to get it to move out of their way, and as they rounded the  
>corner to the north side of the alley they were just in time to watch their suspects pull<br>a man from his brand new Nissan 370z. Arms and shoulders were protruding from the  
>driver and passenger side windows as the three men crammed themselves into the two<br>seater sports car. She tried to ram them, but they accelerated away at the last second  
>and the chase was on.<p>

After taking the exit that almost killed them, they began to cross paths with other patrol  
>cars trying to join the chase. Kate always held the lead. The Nissan was the faster car but<br>lost out on maneuverability with three guys crammed inside. She was beginning to gain  
>on them and the road ahead ended into a freeway support with a right or left turn as the<br>only option. It was the best spot to try and stop them. She crept up on the Nissan's left  
>rear quarter panel and attempted to PIT the car. They tried to accelerate away, but she<br>managed to rub the bumper and it was enough to cause the car to fishtail. The driver either  
>didn't have room inside the car to control it or didn't know how. He was never able to stabilize<br>the pitch and roll of the car t to make the upcoming turn. They could see the smoke as the  
>Nissan's brakes locked up and rubbber burnt into the asphalt, but it was too late. The car<br>smashed head on into the concrete pillar.

Kate slowed her car and two patrol cars flew past them. She didn't need to see that, and neither  
>did Castle. He was looking a little green when she looked over at him.<p>

"You ok Castle?"

"I think I saw all three guys get thrown from the car."

She had seen it too. "Yeah, well there's nothing we can do now. Patrol can handle this. "What do you say  
>we head back to the precinct?"<p>

"I'm with you on that."

Onthe drive back, Kate called Ryan and Esposito and filled them in on the outcome of their case. By the time  
>they arrived back at the precinct, the boys had already cleared the murder board.<p>

Esposito was the first to greet them. "Yo Castle! I heard the chase got really hairy, you guys ok?"

"Well I didn't pee my pants if that's what you're wondering."

Esposito laughed and Kate couldn't resist throwing in her two cents worth.

"Maybe not, but he did scream like a little girl."

That got a laugh from everyone within earshot.

He had to defend himself. "You would have too if your face was inches away from the back tire of the Semi  
>that Kate tried to drive under."<p>

Esposito's brow furrowed. "Seroiusly?"

"Yeah."

"Wow." Ryan chimed in.

"I do have to compliment her though. She pulled off the best combination defenestration and hat-trick that  
>I've ever seen."<p>

They all stared at him for a moment before Ryan wandered away with a confused look on his face. Esposito  
>said, "Whatever dude." And Kate, she just smiled.<p> 


	6. The Gift

_This one is from _**Kandi. **_The words are cherries, apples and nose._

_Words: 654_

_Time to complete: 30min_

**The Gift**

It had to be him. She didn't even bother to check through the peephole, because nobody  
>else ever knocked on her door unannounced. He usually had that timid, '<em>is she gonna shoot<br>me this time'_ look on his face. Not today. Today an '_oh so adorable'_ smile lit up his face and  
>crinkled the corners of his eyes. What was that all about? He must be up to something.<br>She was sure she was right when she noticed that he was hiding something behind his  
>back. It only took her nose one second longer to smell that it was something.<p>

"Castle what are you hiding?"

"Invite me in and I'll show you."

She didn't have a choice, she never had a choice.

"Fine, come in."

He brushed past her and moved the hidden object away from her view as he preceded her  
>to the kitchen. He set it down on the counter and moved away so that she could see.<p>

"A pie? You brought me a pie."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"It's your birthday. Or have you forgotten?"

She had forgotten. And he remembered.

"So why a pie? Why not a cake with candles?"

"I wanted to make you something more appropriate."

"You made this?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. I don't know what to say…thanks."

"You deserve it. Today is your day…and speaking of your day, it is your day off so I just  
>wanted to drop this off real quick and wish you a happy birthday."<p>

He turned away from her and headed back towards the door.

"Castle."

He turned back as he opened the door.

"Yeah?"

"It's really sweet, thanks."

There was that smile again, the one reserved just for her, and then he was gone.

She turned her attention to the pie on the counter. He's made it just for her. She pulled  
>open the silver wear drawer, grabbed a fork and quickly plunged it through the flaky crust.<br>It was red inside. Was it a cherry pie? She took a bite. It was more than cherries. It  
>was a cherry-apple pie. Cherry-apple! He'd made her a cherry-apple pie! She couldn't stop<br>the tears from coming. Why did he have to make her a pie? But she knew why…and so did he.

The fork was dropped to the counter and her door was left wide open as she ran down the  
>hallway and down the stairwell. When she exited her building she looked around for his car,<br>for him…she couldn't see him with all the cars and people passing by. She needed a better  
>vantage point. There was only one.<p>

Now that she could see and be seen she called his name.

"Castle!"

"Castle!"

He had taken a cab to her place but afterward he felt like walking. He was almost to the end  
>of her block when he heard his name. When he looked back he saw her, standing on top of a<br>car, calling his name.

"Kate?" He started running back in her direction. She still hadn't seen him.

"Castle!"

He was almost to the car before she did. "Kate, what are you doing? Come down from there."  
>He held out his hand for her to climb down. She took his hand and then jumped down into his<br>arms. She had such a fierce hold around his neck he didn't understand what was going on? At  
>least not until her heard her whisper in his ear.<p>

"I love you too."

He returned her embrace. "Hey, you're not supposed to give me a gift on your birthday."

He heard her sniff back a few tears. "Shut up."

He pulled away, wiped her tears and then kissed her. The smiles on their faces afterwards said it all.

She quickly broke the spell by grabbing his hand and giving it a tug.

"Where are we going?"

What she said next almost stopped his heart.

"Back upstairs…I want to unwrap my other present."


	7. Are You Ready For Some Football?

Thanks to **baterista9 **for the words god, bless and sun. Sorry it took so long.

Words: Too many!

Time to complete" Forever! I lost my muse working fifty hours a week, every week for the past month.

* * *

><p><strong>Are You Ready for Some Football?<strong>

Castle's mother and daughter had been banned from the apartment. This was the  
>weekend for bowl games, beers, bets and bro's, and it was all happening at his place<br>from noon till midnight on Saturday. He'd stockpiled the fridge with their favorite beers.  
>There was pizza on order for lunch and he was planning to make hot wings during the<br>lull between games. He was stoked. He had his poker "buddies", but they were more  
>acquaintances than friends. Ryan and Esposito, they were true friends, ones who would<br>"literally" take a bullet for him. The impromptu bachelor party for Ryan, and what happened  
>that night in Atlantic City was a testament to their friendship. All three had sworn an oath…<br>that what happened in Atlantic City…stayed in Atlantic City.

Esposito was the first to show up and he brought chips and homemade salsa. Ryan arrived  
>ten minutes later carrying a houseplant.<p>

Castle kept his comments to himself and just invited him in, but Esposito wasn't so tactful.

"Dude, what the hell is that?"

'You told me to bring something."

"Yeah, like dessert. How could you even think of bringing a plant?" Esposito rose from the  
>couch to confront his friend and as he moved in he reached out and flicked one of the plants<br>leaves. "Especially some cheesy looking artificial plant, did Jenny make you bring that?"

He knew he had misspoken, especially when he looked over Ryan's shoulder and saw Castles eyes go wide.

"Are you disparaging my fiancée?"

He tried desperately to backpedal. "Nah, no…I meant...I was just…dessert would have been nice."

"Just for that, you don't get any."

"Get any what?"

"Dessert."

"You brought dessert too?"

Ryan just shook his head.

"Here Castle…" He handed him the plant. "…you got any room in your fridge for that?"

Castle took the proffered plant. "Hey, it's cold!"

"That's why it needs to be refrigerated."

Castle stood there dumbfounded and Esposito wore a matching expression.

"Give it here." He took back the plant and carried it over to the bar. He then pulled out the fake  
>plant and stuck his finger in the hole it left behind. When he pulled it back out it was covered in<br>goo, and he proceeded to stick his goo covered finger in his mouth. He sucked it clean and then  
>held it up.<p>

"It's a dirt cake."

Esposito still couldn't grasp what he was seeing. "A what?"

"It's called a dirt cake. It banana pudding and cream cheese, topped with whip cream and then  
>covered up with crumbled Oreo cookies…that's the black stuff that looks like dirt."<p>

Castle was on it in an instant. "That is so cool!" He stuck his finger into the hole and pulled it out. "Pudding!"

"I can't believe that neither of you ever had a dirt cake when you were kids."

Castle sucked his finger clean before replying. "I had a non traditional upbringing."

"And at my house…" Esposito explained. "…my mother was traditional; it was always Tres Leches and churros."

….

Dessert was put in the fridge and beers were taken out. Pizza soon followed and they set up  
>command central on the sofa and coffee table directly in front of a new 52" flat screen HDTV<br>that occupied the center of the living room. The first game didn't start for another forty five  
>minutes, so as they listened to the pre game commentary they polished of the pizza and then<br>attacked Ryan's dessert. Bets were then made before the games started. They set a ten dollar  
>bet for five of the Bowl games, and the Rose Bowl, being the all important BCS championship<br>game, was set at fifty dollars. At one o'clock the fun began and by two o'clock Castle noticed his  
>guests were no longer sitting on the couch, rather they were sitting on the floor in front of the<br>coffee table.

"Why are you guys on the floor?"

Esposito wasn't shy about explaining. "Your couch isn't very comfortable."

"What! I'll have you know this is a very expensive Italian leather sofa"

Ryan just snickered. "You paid too much then."

Esposito laughed too. "He's right."

"What's wrong with it?"

"It's alright if you want to have tea with the ladies of the Junior League." Esposito began.

"Or a Tupperware party." Ryan added.

"But what you need is a man's couch, one with built in recliners on each end, and a dropdown table  
>with cup holders in the middle. You need a couch with padding, a couch that you don't have to worry<br>about spilling food or drink on."

"The "Bubba Couch" you're suggesting wouldn't go with my décor."

"Ooh, the décor!" Ryan chided.

"Hey! This couch is both fashionable and comfortable."

"Says you." Ryan snorted a laugh.

"Forget the couch guys. You know what he really needs?" Esposito offered up. "He needs a man cave."

"I have my office."

Both Ryan and Esposito burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" He couldn't understand their laughter.

Esposito looked towards his office. "Dude, that isn't even close to being a man cave."

'Why not?"

"You have bookshelves for walls."

"So?"

"On a privacy scale of 1 to 10, that rates a negative five."

'Yeah, I can see your desk from here." Ryan commented.

"I have enough privacy." Castle defended himself.

"Can you sit around in your underwear?" Esposito asked.

"Or pick your nose?" Ryan joined in.

"Or fart?"

"Or watch internet porn?" Ryan aked.

"Or scratch yourself?

"Or watch porn." Ryan asked again.

"Or fall asleep when you want to without feeling guilty?" Esposito cocluded.

"Uh…?" He may be adept at putting words on a page, but Castle found himself at a loss for words at  
>the odd form of communication the pair seemed to enjoy.<p>

"Like I said." Esposito reiterated. "You need a man cave."

Castle knew it was pointless to go up against the two of them. "Whatever." He thought it best to  
>change the conversation.<p>

He rose from the couch. "Can I get either of you another beer?"

"Sure."

"Yeah."

The man cave was forgotten as more beers were consumed and the next bowl game began.

…

By three o'clock the chips and dip were devoured and Ryan was on the verge of losing another ten  
>dollars. His team was down by three with a little over two minutes left in the game. All they had to<br>do after they received the upcoming punt, was drive downfield and get within field goal range to send  
>the game into overtime. The ball was kicked and in the air. It started coming down near the thirty<br>yard line. The receiver signaled for a fair catch…and then dropped the ball! It was recovered by the  
>opposing team and the game was soon over.<p>

Esposito was the first to comment. "Oh man! How lame was that?"

Then Castle. "Boy Ryan, you sure know how to pick 'em."

He had to offer up a defense for his fourth loss. "It's the stupid stadium. Half the field is in the shadows  
>and the other half is in the sun. Nobody's eyes can adjust to that!"<p>

"Yeah, right." Castle chided.

"Whatever dude, you still lose…again!" Esposito couldn't help mocking his partner as he and Castle  
>proceeded to 'feed the birds'.<p>

"Yeah, well you two just wait. I'm gonna get my money back on the Rose Bowl."

…

The half hour lull before the Rose Bowl started meant that it was time for hot wings, celery and  
>blue cheese dip. Castle and Esposito watched in surprise as Ryan put away three beers and<br>twenty hot wings in less than ten minutes. They weren't surprised when five minutes later he  
>was passed out on the floor.<p>

"Now why couldn't he have fallen asleep like that when we were in Atlantic City?" Castle asked  
>Esposito.<p>

"I don't think the maraschino cherries, olives and peanuts he ate for dinner that night were  
>enough to make him sleepy."<p>

"Let's remember to feed him the next time we ever go out drinking. That man can do things  
>drunk that embarrass even me." Castle commented.<p>

"I'd still like to know where he got those tassels." Esposito wondered aloud.

Castle laughed at the memory. "I'd like to know where he learned how to twirl them? Do you still  
>have that picture of him on your phone?"<p>

"Oh yeah." Esposito grabbed his jacked off the back of the couch and pulled his phone out of one  
>of the pockets. "It gets harder to look at the more time passes." He pulled up the picture in question<br>and passed it over.

Castle winced. "Ohh…you're right. Have you shown it to him yet?"

"No way, I'm saving it for future blackmail."

…

The game was due to start at five o'clock, but after all the hype, tributes and season reviews of the  
>opposing teams, it didn't actually begin until five thirty.<p>

Castle nudged Esposito on the shoulder. "You better wake him up. He wouldn't want to miss this one."

Esposito stretched out his left leg and placed his foot against Ryan's ass. It took a few shoves to finally  
>roust him from his slumber.<p>

"Wha…wha…?" He sat up and looked around disoriented.

"Dude, the games fixin to start. They're singing the national anthem."

"Yeah. I can sing the anthem." Ryan shot up off the floor and swayed in place for a few seconds before  
>placing his hand over his heart.<p>

"God…God bless America! Land I love! Stand…and guide her…with liberty and justice play ball!" He then  
>stumbled back into the couch and toppled over into Castle's lap, dead to the world. Their hysterical<br>laughter over his latest antic did nothing to rouse him.

Esposito was the first to comment as their laughter died down. "For an Irishman, he sure can't hold his liquor."

"Oh, he can hold it alright." Castle replied. "It's just that his body doesn't know what to do with it."

Esposito grabbed his phone. "I should get a picture of him in your lap."

"Forget that." Castle raised his right hand. "I recorded the whole thing on my iPhone."

"You know what Castle? If we ever have to use these pictures against him, he'll never go out drinking with us again."

"That's ok. He won't be able to party like this for much longer anyways."

"Why not?"

Have you forgotten? He's getting married in a couple of months. He'll be on a short leash for at least the first  
>year, and if kids come along, well then he's done for."<p>

* * *

><p><strong>I would love to have more word submissions for future stories (HVPP)! P.S. "The Twelve Days of Castle" will continue, but I may have to wait until after the Xmas crunch. Between the OT at work and the holidays in general, I find I have very little time to write. <strong>


	8. The Waiting Room

This one is for **baterista9, **it uses the words sacrifice, meaning and guy.

Words: 827

Time to complete: 2hrs

* * *

><p><strong>The Waiting Room<strong>

It's been nearly three months and I'm still trapped in that damn room. I can feel the  
>fluorescent lights as they glint off every non porous surface and stab into the back<br>of my eyes. The glare illuminates the hundred and ninety two tiles that cover the  
>floor. I can still see the festering chip in tile number eighty two and the Rorschach<br>stain on the tile near my left foot. Which one was that? Oh yeah, that was number  
>one hundred and fifteen. I can even smell the acrid disinfectant they use when they<br>mop the floor. It's a special blend I'm sure, made just for us visitors to mask the smell  
>of death. When did they mop the floor? I never saw them actually mop it, but I knew<br>they did. They cleaned up the coffee I spilled. I hadn't realized how badly my hands  
>were shaking that day until Alexis handed me that cup. It made her cry. I haven't<br>touched a cup since.

I haven't done much of anything since Kate said those three little words to me. They  
>weren't the three words I'd been hoping to hear from her since the moment I found<br>out she'd live. "I'll call you." She said. I walked out of her hospital room and found  
>myself back in the waiting room. Sure, I got into my car and drove home. But when<br>I opened my front door, there I was in another waiting room. Everything I drink  
>tastes like the sterile water I sipped from Styrofoam cups. Everything I eat tastes like<br>the bland protein bars I lived on from the vending machines, sustenance for sustenance  
>sake. I thought I could at least escape into my bedroom, but my bed now feels like the<br>small chair that folded out into an even impossibly smaller bed. I toss and turn and wake  
>up in a knot. It's not entirely caused by the imaginary bed, but more by the dream that<br>I've had every night since the day she nearly died in my arms.

It's the day of the funeral again, all bright and green and beautiful, too beautiful for a  
>funeral. Funerals are supposed to be somber, and somber means a cold grey sky and<br>the biting mist of rain that chills down to the bone. Not this. The sun is laughing at us in  
>our black sackcloths and I feel a trickle of sweat as it runs down my spine. The eulogy<br>is beginning, but I find myself distracted, something is different. The words sacrifice,  
>partner and friend bring me back to the moment and I wonder why Esposito is giving<br>the eulogy. Kate is supposed to be giving the eulogy, that's what's different. I try to  
>look for her but I can't now because I'm being ushered to the podium. I'm not prepared.<br>I'm not supposed to speak. My suit is sweltering as I find myself reciting a poem. The  
>words come out of their own accord, and it isn't until the last refrain that I realize<br>I'm reciting Oscar Wilde's _Requiescat._

_Peace, peace; she cannot hear  
><em>_Lyric or sonnet;  
><em>_All my life's buried here  
><em>_Heap earth upon it._

Why had I chosen that? Why not Housman, or Sir Walter Scott? People were staring  
>and I seemed to be crying, uncontrollably. Something was still wrong, but I didn't know<br>what, not until I turned away from the podium and saw the massive granite headstone  
>and the name carved into it. It wakes me every time.<p>

A least it's eight o'clock and not four o'clock in the morning as I sit here on my couch again  
>in this "waiting room of a world" and try to glean some meaning from what she said that<br>day. One phrase always seems to repeat itself over and over in my head.

"I just need a little bit of time."

Time for what? Time to recover? To get her hair done? Time for a little less of me and a little  
>more of Josh? My own mother called me a cuckold the other day. She said it was my "fetish".<br>When had the word cuckold abandoned Shakespeare to become a fetish? She embarrassed  
>me and left me at a loss for words. I had no reply. She was right. Here I was waiting for a<br>woman who was off living her life and having sex with some other guy while I patiently watched  
>and waited from the wings. What else did that make me? A fool? That word doesn't do this<br>justice. A stalker? That's going overboard. Cuckold. The new definition seemed to be a perfect  
>fit. When and how did I let my self become this…this, this thing? My waiting room suddenly felt<br>like a prison and I knew that it was time. I grabbed my cell phone and called the only person I  
>knew who could help me escape.<p>

"Gina, about that book signing you wanted me to do…"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note" Ya! Work is back to normal and my muse has returned. I can always use more inspiration. All I need is... three more little words!<strong>


	9. How to Save a Life

This one is for **HVPP. **Thanks for the words, blitz, wave and dance.

Words: 1,776 (oops, too many!)

Time: 3hrs

* * *

><p><strong>How to Save a Life<strong>

Kate leaned to her left and yelled above the din and into Castle's right ear. "I can't  
>believe you're responsible for any of this!"<p>

"I'm not!"

"What?" She never heard what he said because he was looking at the band when he spoke.

He turned to face her. "I said…I'm not!"

"Who are those guys?"

He put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her towards him. She could feel the stubble  
>already coming in on his face as his cheek grazed hers, and his breath moved the hair<br>around her ear when he replied.

"I think they're an ensemble of Ryan's uncles, nephews and cousins!"

She let her cheek lightly touch his when she spoke again. "The lead singer looks about sixty!"

"Explains most of the song choices!" Castle turned away to look at the band and in doing  
>so he took the warmth of his cheek with him. She wanted it back.<p>

The band, if you could call it a band, was midway through a rendition of the seventies New  
>Wave classic, Ballroom Blitz. Well, the band was midway through; the singer remained a beat<br>behind. Kate tugged on Castle's sleeve to bring him back around.

"It sounds like something from the Rocky Horror Picture Show; how do they expect people  
>to dance to that!"<p>

She was grateful when he leaned back in to reply. He spoke before his cheek made it to hers  
>and she could smell the alcohol on his breath. It made her wonder what the combination of<br>Crown and Coke and Castle would taste like.

"They seem to be trying!" His breath was hot in her ear this time

"It looks like they're having convulsions!"

She mentally kicked herself as her comment made him pull away to laugh. She needed to reestablish  
>the connection again, but before she could, she felt the firm grasp of his hand on her arm. He began<br>leading her across the room towards the row of French doors that separated the ballroom from the  
>country clubs outdoor patio. The din of the band subsided as he closed the door behind them.<p>

"That's better!"

Their ears hadn't adjusted yet and he was still yelling. There were a few couples out on the patio  
>and they all looked over. Ignoring the looks, they both turned back to the glass doors to watch<br>the revelers on the dance floor jerking back and forth.

"I have to agree with you about the convulsions, but not about Rocky Horror. You can dance to the  
>Time Warp. But that…" He pointed to band. "…never."<p>

It was her had on his arm this time as she turned him towards her.

"Oh my god Castle, you didn't use to dress up and do the reenactments, did you?

His face displayed only the slightest smirk as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I'm not saying I did, and I'm not saying I didn't."

Her mind quickly raced through the cast of characters in the movie and there was clearly only one role  
>he would have played. She intended to confront him, but when she looked up into his eyes she noticed<br>he wasn't looking at her anymore, he was looking over her shoulder and she watched as his left hand  
>timidly raised itself and gave a little wave.<p>

Kate followed his gaze and it led inside to the edge of the dance floor and stopped on a young woman  
>waving enthusiastically at him. She looked back to Castle.<p>

"An old girlfriend of yours?" She teased.

"No, worse. It's Ryan's Uncle's best friend's sister, Beth. She's a big fan and Uncle Boyce had been trying  
>to "arrange" her marriage to me all night. I knew I shouldn't have come. Weddings and me, we end badly.<br>Today is no exception."

"Relax Castle, it can't be that bad."

"Have you not seen what these people can do?" He hissed back at her. "This was not what Ryan and  
>Jenny had planned for their wedding. It was totally out of their hands the moment they agreed to let<br>Jenny's half brother Nelson be Ryan's best man."

Kate thought he was being ridiculous and so she rolled her eyes at him. He wasn't about to let her get  
>off that easy.<p>

"Roses and Wildflowers was the florist Jenny chose from the list I gave her. Turns out Ryan's third cousin  
>on his mothers side owns a flower shop in Queens, so guess where the flowers came from. Did you see<br>the flowers? They were lilies and carnations! Everybody knows lilies are for funerals and that carnations  
>are reserved for t'weens attending their junior high school prom. And don't get me started on the caterers.<br>I know I saw pigs-in-a-blanket on one of the trays that passed by me. Gee, have I congratulated the bride  
>and groom yet? I need to go do that, and while I'm at it I'll remind them to send a thank you card to Jenny's<br>father's boss's wife to thank her for the wonderful catering job that she did!" Castle took a deep breath and  
>his hand clamped down across to his mouth as he tried to regain his composure. He wasn't through just yet.<br>His hand slid off his mouth and down his chin. He picked up where he left off.

"These people scare me. Mob families I can deal with. They come at you with guns and knives, but these people…"  
>He pursed his lips and shook his head. "…they come at you with smiles and hugs. How are you supposed to defend<br>yourself against that?"

Kate was beginning to wonder if he was yanking her chain, but what happened next quickly changed her mind.

"Oh god, she's coming this way." The look she saw on his face was all too real. She had only seen it twice before.  
>The first time was when Jerry had let him live, and the second time was in the moment before he pulled those<br>wires, that harrowing moment that seemed to last a lifetime. He was really scared.

She looked over her shoulder again and watched the woman moving closer and closer to the French doors. Kate  
>smiled inwardly and then turned a serious face back to Castle. She gripped him by his biceps and gave him a shake<br>to focus his attention back on her.

"I'll take care of this." She said with determination.

He blinked at her. What did she just say? He wanted to ask her, but she turned around and now her back was  
>to him. He could only watch and wait. Kate crossed her arms and then took two deliberate steps backwards.<br>Her back was now pressing up against his chest. He couldn't see what she was doing. She seemed to be doing…  
>nothing, but the "deer in the headlights" look that appeared on Beth's face and her hand that remained frozen<br>on the doorknob said otherwise.

There she remained, frozen in place, until Uncle Boyce appeared behind her. He pulled her hand from the doorknob  
>and steered her back into the room. It looked like he'd gotten the message too.<p>

Castle couldn't help himself. He wrapped his arms around Kate and held her tightly as he brushed his lips against  
>her ear. "You just saved my life."<p>

She turned slowly in response to his words. She didn't want to lose the closeness of the moment, at least not yet  
>and he was surprised when she didn't pull away. Surely he must be dreaming. When he felt her hands slide up the<br>front of his chest and toy with the collar of his shirt, he knew he was dreaming. He was definitely dreaming when  
>she spoke.<p>

"I couldn't let anything happen to you now, could I?"

He stumbled over his reply. "Wh…why…why not?"

Biting down on her bottom lip, she gathered the front of his shirt in her hand and pulled him closer. He thought she  
>was going to kiss him, but at the last second she turned her face just enough to the right so that her lips grazed<br>his cheek before stopping next to his ear.

Her voice was low and sultry. "Because now…" He flinched when her tongue and teeth briefly captured his  
>ear lobe. "…we're even."<p>

She released her grip on his shirt and stepped back. The confusion on his face was adorable and she hated  
>to walk away, but she knew he'd understand.<p>

Castle's brain had stopped working; all he could do was stare as she turned and slowly walked away. Even?  
>Did she really want the slate to be wiped clean and for them to start all over? This could not be happening…<br>again! The first time was teasing, this time… this time it was just torture. Torture as his eyes watched the  
>sway of her hips as she moved further away from him and closer to the gate that separated the patio from<br>the parking lot. What did she want from him? He wasn't expecting an answer to his question and when it  
>came, it surprised him.<p>

Kate stopped when she reached the gate. She had hoped to hear his footsteps behind her, but all she heard  
>was quiet. Maybe she'd been too subtle. She turned and looked back. He was still standing where she'd left<br>him looking no less confused. Yep, too subtle. She was going to have to dig through her semiphoric collection  
>of looks and transmit her intentions. The one she use on Beth still lay on the surface, not that one…that one<br>can kill. She pushed it aside and found the one she wanted.

Castle saw her hesitate when she reached the gate. Something was different this time. This time she looked  
>back. He recognized that look. He'd seen it before, just not on her. His mouth fell open and his hand flew to<br>his ear. It was wet, wet from her tongue. Shit! How did he miss that?

When his hand went to his ear, she knew he'd gotten the message. So why was he still standing there?  
>Enough with the subtlety already. She placed her hands on her hips and called out to him across the patio.<p>

"Are you comin'?"

He quickly crossed the distance and the look on his face when he stopped next to her made her flush. He  
>placed a hand to her cheek and she couldn't help but tilt her head into it. He brought his lips down to meet<br>hers and what he whispered into them only intensified the kiss that followed.

"Ask me again in an hour."

When their lips finally met, she knew one thing for sure; Crown and Coke and Castle, it was intoxicating!

* * *

><p><strong>Authors note: I've got the Crown and Coke, anyboby got any Castle? Anybody? <strong>


	10. Cold Feet

Thanks to **Emmalee **for the words, expression, solution and radiance.

Words: 1,330 (too many again...oh well.)

Time: 2hrs

**Cold Feet**

They were getting married in the morning and he still wouldn't do it for her.  
>He said it made him uncomfortable. Well what about her needs? She didn't<br>want him to do it every night, but he wouldn't even compromise. Damn him!  
>She was going to have to do something to make him change his mind. It was<br>two in the morning. She should not be awake at two in the morning. The  
>solution to her problem came to her a few minutes later.<p>

Morning sunlight was beginning to filter through the bedroom curtains. It was  
>nearly eight thirty. It was funny how much she felt like she did when she was<br>a child on Christmas morning. The anticipation was almost heady. She rolled  
>on her left side to look at his sleeping form. This was one of the rare times<br>she was glad he was a heavy sleeper. It wouldn't be too much longer now  
>before she'd have to wake him. She was just waiting to hear any signs of life<br>coming from the kitchen. Having Alexis back in the apartment was…strange.  
>It was strange how the apartment seemed to shrink with just one more<br>person added to the mix. She'd been away at college when Kate had moved  
>in to the apartment three months ago. It was nice having her home though.<br>The Castle family felt complete with her around.

Was that a noise? She listened for a confirmation. There it was; the tinkle of  
>glass and the sound of a cabinet being shut. It was time to wake him. Sweet<br>or sassy, which should it be? Sassy, definitely sassy. She got up and made her  
>way around to his side of the bed. She pulled down the covers and slapped his<br>bare ass.

"Wake up dear!"

She never called him dear. She wasn't one for endearments, but today she felt  
>like taking it for a test drive, just to see how it sounded. He grumbled something<br>incoherent at her.

"C'mon get up. You said you wanted to make breakfast this morning. Everyone's  
>up but you."<p>

Kate made her way over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of boxers, a t-shirt  
>and pajama bottom for him to wear. When she turned back, she found him sitting<br>on the edge of the bed with his eyes still closed. He wasn't a morning person.

"You can't hold a guy to something he says when he's drunk." He mumbled.

"You weren't drunk last night."

One of his eyes squinted open. "You sure?"

"It takes more than two glasses of wine to get you drunk dear. Here." She handed  
>him the clothes and sat down beside him.<p>

"This was something you wanted to do for Alexis. She's been gone almost four months,  
>so don't go and blow this opportunity to spend some time with her."<p>

"You're right."

"I know I'm right." She gave him quick peck on the cheek before she stood up. "I'm  
>gonna' jump in the shower; give me a yell when it's ready." She headed into the<br>master bath. She left the door open so that she could keep an eye on him. His eyes  
>may still be closed, but he was getting dressed. Good, she didn't want him fully awake;<br>he would be soon enough, especially when he discovers what she did. She waited in  
>the bathroom till she saw him shuffle towards the door. She made sure he was gone<br>before leaving the bathroom. She went back over to his dresser drawer; took out what  
>she needed and then sat down on the end of the bed to wait. She didn't have to wait long.<p>

Peals of laughter could be heard coming from the kitchen.

"Kaaate!"

She allowed herself a brief smirk. As funny as it was, she was serious about what she hoped  
>to accomplish. Plus, if he saw her laughing it would just piss him off, not prove her point.<p>

"Kaaate!"

His voice was coming closer. She struck a pose and waited. The bedroom door was bruskly shoved open.

"Kaa…"

She could tell by the expression on his face that he was startled to find her waiting for him.  
>He thought she'd be in the shower; not on sitting on the bed naked, dangling a pair of<br>socks in her hand.

"Are you looking for these?"

He made a quick glance over his shoulder and hurriedly closed the door before confronting her.

"What did you do to me?

"I…didn't do anything."

"Then what the hell is this?" He wiggled his toes at her.

"Oh, that…that's Orange Tropical Radiance."

"And why is it on my toenails"

"I don't know."

She playfully batted her eyes and he narrowed his back at her.

"Well if you didn't put it on, then how did it get there?"

"I don't know. I might have done it on accident…in the middle of the night…while I was sleeping."

He shook his head in disbelief. "Is that what this is about, my cold toes?"

She raised her eyebrows in agreement.

"I can't believe you want to do this on our wedding day."

"I know, go figure. I mean why would I possibly want to address the fact that your cold toes  
>have woken me up every night, in the middle of the night for the past three months."<p>

"We've talked about this already."

"Oh, we talked about it alright, and the last thing you said before walking away was, 'I can't  
>sleep wearing socks.' Well I've had it with your cold toes goosing me every night. So unless<br>you have a better idea?" She waggled the socks at him.

He took a defensive position and folded his arms across his chest. "I am not wearing socks to bed."

Kate crossed her legs and then her arms, thereby hiding the view of her body and making a point  
>at the same time. "Are we or are we not getting married in nine hours?"<p>

His reply was a little hesitant. "We are."

"And did you, or did you not write our wedding vows."

"You know I did."

"And is there anywhere in the vows where I say the words, to love honor and _obey_?"

"Uh…no."

"Then you better start compromising or we'll be spending our honeymoon in separate bedrooms."

His reply consisted of a glare.

She took this moment to reposition herself. She angled herself from the left to the right, and doing  
>so she blatantly uncrossed and then crossed her legs, and with her arms still across her chest,<br>she pushed upward on her boobs.

"This is blackmail." He growled.

"No, this is compromise."

He crossed the short distance between them and stood before her with his hands on his hips.  
>Kate had a hard time suppressing a smile at his feigned anger.<p>

"So what do you have in mind?"

She held the socks out to him again. "You only have to wear them every other night. That way  
>we're both equally miserable."<p>

"Fine." He snatched the socks from her grasp to seal the deal and because he wasn't about to  
>go back out there without hiding the gaudy orange nail polish on his toes.<p>

He sauntered away from her and leaned against the wall next to the bedroom door long enough  
>to slip on his socks. He opened the door to leave but then turned back to Kate.<p>

"Since we're compromising, would you mind fixing breakfast this morning, I just realized there's  
>something I need to do"<p>

"And what is that?"

She saw a smile creep up the corners of his mouth and fill his eyes as he backed out of the room.  
>"I have to go…" He said, jabbing his thumb over his right shoulder. "…and rewrite those wedding vows."<p>

He disappeared from view but she wasn't about to let him have the last word.

"You change those vows buster and you'll be reciting them to your best man!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: Didn't see that one coming, did ya!<strong>


	11. Revelations

Thanks to** lvbnsb1 **for the words, island, clever and falter. Yep, some more angsty for you!

Words: 972

Time: 2-1/2hrs

* * *

><p><strong>Revelations<strong>

Kate was mad. The three months of peace and tranquility she had accrued at her fathers  
>cabin had been used up in a ten minute argument she'd just had with him in her apartment.<br>Why did he come over? She told him not to come over, and why did he have to say those  
>things? They may be true, but they didn't help her, they only made things worse. She could<br>still hear his parting words echoing around inside her head.

"No man is an island Katie, try not to forget that."

What did he mean by tossing that oft quoted line from John Donne at her, especially after  
>she yelled at him to <em>just go! <em>And what the hell did Donne's line really mean, for that matter?  
>She couldn't remember. She'd read his essay in her college English lit class, but she never<br>really cared for 16th century literature. She found most of its writings tinted with whatever  
>religious furor its authors were lent. Damn stupid phrase. She wanted it out of her head.<p>

Kate was always one to focus her rage, and right now John Donne became her focal point.  
>It took nearly a half hour but she finally found her old textbook in a storage bin buried in the<br>back of her hall closet. She opened the book to its appendix and quickly found Donne's name  
>and the essay she was looking for, Meditation XVII. She flipped to page 186 and started<br>reading from the beginning, stopping when she reached the words that had offended her.  
>She read them carefully.<p>

_No man is an island, entire in itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a  
>clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if<br>a manor of thy friend's or thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved  
>in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee. <em>

Well shit. She thought she was being so damn clever. She was going to have a laugh and snub  
>her nose at her dad and at Donne's dated old world notions…but she couldn't. The words pierced<br>her heart instead; pierced it in the exact same place the bullet had, and made it ache. There in black  
>and white was confirmation of what she had suspected during her isolation at the cabin. She would<br>never be alone. The very fabric of her life was interwoven into the lives of her friends, family and  
>co-workers. Only now did she realize how her death would have ripped it apart. She could only hope<br>that her running away hadn't created a hole that was too large to patch. How could she have been  
>so stupid?<p>

Her dad had shared more with her than that one line. He'd told her so much more, more than she  
>wanted to hear, but all that she needed to know. She now had two wrongs to right, and neither<br>would be easy for her to do. She reluctantly picked up her cell phone.

"Just get it over with." She admonished herself out loud.

She pressed the familiar number on speed dial and waited nervously for him to pick up. The sound of  
>his voice for the first time in months almost made her falter in her resolve.<p>

"Kate, are you back?"

"Yeah, I just got back in to town a couple of hours ago. Could you come over? I mean, if you're not busy…with work."

"I'm free, I'll be there in twenty. I've missed you Kate"

"I've missed you too." What else was she going say over the phone, she did miss him…just not enough.

Her hands were shaking as she set the phone down on her coffee table. Her emotions were raw.  
>Her father's revelations about what he'd asked Castle to do had brought back the angry words that<br>she and Castle spat at each other in her apartment. She was angry at herself more than she was at  
>her father but she had lashed out at him anyway. She told him that she was a big girl and that he<br>needed to butt out of her life. She was stunned by his next revelation. It felt like she was the one  
>being shoved against the wall in the hospital corridor, it knocked the breath from her lungs and she<br>found herself struggling to breathe as her father repeated the accusations Josh hurled at Castle.  
>What breath she did find she used to yell at her father to <em>shut up. <em>It was all too much, but he had  
>one more thing to say.<p>

"Rick's a good man Kate, and I know he's important to you, even if you don't want to admit it, but he  
>deserves better than you've given him and if you don't talk to him soon you're going to lose him forever."<p>

She was a master at the art of avoidance and having the truth shoved in her face made her mad. Anger  
>was the only emotion that had comforted her for years. She couldn't deal with any other.<p>

"_Just go!"_

She needed to apologize…to both of them. Her dad would accept it, he loved her unconditionally, and she  
>knew that…but what about Castle? Not a day went by since waking up in the hospital that she didn't see<br>his tears, hear him plead with her to stay with him and confess his love. His admission as she lay in hisarms  
>surprised her more than the fact that she was dying. She wanted to reply, but all that came out was a tear<br>as darkness obscured his face. Death had come so easy. So why did it have to be so hard for her to live?


	12. White Elephants

Thanks to **Sparrow33 **for giving me the words plaid, magnet and tradition. This story took on a life of its own and grew into so much more than I expected. I hope you have as much fun reading as I had writing.

**White Elephants**

Castles birthday was in two days and she needed to find just the right gift. Kate pushed open an aged storefront door and a small bell tinkled above her head. She stopped and took a moment to survey the small cramped resale shop she'd entered. This one was different from the last five shops she'd visited. It smelled different. She couldn't tell if the staleness of age in the air emanated from the walls of the old building or from the objects displayed inside. The faint hint of mothballs made her hopeful. She ventured in and began browsing the cluttered shelves and racks brimming with the past.

She wished she could have started looking sooner, but she didn't have time. Damn case ran too long. Twenty minutes later Kate stood in the middle of the shop and let out a sigh. She just didn't see anything that…wait! A splash of color caught her eye and it drew her like a magnet to a rack nestled in a corner of the shop. She lifted out an item and held it out at arms length to get a better look. It was bold, it was garish, it was dated…and it was perfect!

….

It was two years into their marriage before either of them noticed the elephant that kept showing up at all of their gift giving occasions. Kate first noticed at Christmas, but kept quiet. When it showed up again at her birthday, Castle could see it reflected in her eyes, and he called it out.

They both wanted to give each other the perfect gift. But what do two people, who have everything they could ever want or need, give each other? For Rick, it had become jewelry, and for Kate…it became neckties and cufflinks. They both knew that the love was in the giving, but their gifts had become white elephants that neither of them really wanted. So, that's when they decided. No more gifts…at least, no more gifts in the traditional sense.

After a trip to the jewelry store to return the necklace he'd bought her, they spent the rest of her birthday trying to come up with a suitable alternative.

"We could give each other cards." Castle was first to suggest.

Kate's brow furrowed. "A card, Castle? Really? How impersonal can you get?"

He quickly amended his suggestion. "Ok. How about a hand written card? That would be personal."

"That wouldn't be fair."

"Why? Because I'm a writer? Come on Kate, you went to college; even you can manage to scribble a few words on a…oh, sorry." She was shaking her head. "I forgot."

He had told her years ago how atrocious her handwriting was, and she readily agreed. "_It comes from_ y_ears of scribbling in small notebooks," she'd said._

"You could type something." He added.

"Again…too impersonal."

"Flowers?"

She eyed him. "Do you like getting flowers?"

"Ummmm. I've never gotten any."

"Well, I do like getting flowers." She leaned across the couch and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Especially from you." Her eyes smiled lovingly as she pulled away. "But only when I'm not expecting them."

"Hmmm." Castle folded his arms across his chest and one hand automatically went to his chin to help him ponder. "So we need something that neither of us will expect, and it has to be personal. Yeah that narrows it down."

"How about, we take each other out to dinner?" Kate suggested.

They both stared at each other as they pondered the idea for a brief second.

"Naw." They said simultaneously.

"Alright, how about…." She dismissed the idea before she could speak it.

"Or maybe…no."

She needed to come up with something. A minute passed. Exasperated, she threw her hand up and slouched into the couch. "I've got nothing." The next few more minutes passed with both of them thinking quietly to themselves.

"How about liengere?" Castle offered up eventually, just to end the silence.

She gave him a smirk. "I don't think they make silk teddies in your size."

"Point taken." He smiled back. "What if we do clothes instead?"

She shook her head. "Mmmm…I don't know. I may wind up giving you socks and underwear instead of ties and cufflinks."

"Ok, what if we make it more specific. Let's say…the same article of clothing cannot be given concurrently."

"That's better Castle. Now I can just give you the socks at Christmas and save the underwear for your birthday."

"Very funny. Just work with me on this Kate; I think this has potential."

"Fine." She sat up straighter. "How about, one gift, one part of the body?"

"Better…better." He shifted closer to her on the couch, hoping to keep the brainstorming session going. "It still needs something else, something to make it more…unexpected."

"How can you not expect it?" She turned towards him out of habit. "We both know it's going to be an article of clothing."

"Hang on…let me think."

His thinking soon turned into chewing on his thumbnail and staring off into space, so she decided to think out loud.

"We need to make it as interesting for the giver as it is for the receiver and we need some random method off choosing what gift we have to give."

Something she said caught his attention. "Oooh…we could do that!"

"Do what?"

"Create treasure maps that lead you to clues around hidden around the city that in turn lead you to your present!"

"No." She said flatly.

"Why not?" He couldn't understand how she was not excited by this idea.

"It's too complicated."

"How is it too…?"

"Complicated?" She cut him off. "Well for starters, I'm not a cartographer, nor do I want to become one, and I definitely do not want to spend my day off traipsing around the city looking for hidden clues, trying to find my present. It's too much like work."

He sat back dejectedly. She could always find the flaws in what he thought were some of his best ideas. "Why do you always have to be right?"

"I'm not trying to be right Castle. I'm just doing what we do best."

He looked confused. "What's that?"

"Theory building. You provide the elaborate…and somewhat harebrained idea…" He started to balk at the word harebrained. "…let me finish!...and I provide the logic to weed out the crap. What's usually left is the solution to our case…or in this case, our problem."

"Wow. Harebrained crap. I didn't realize…."

"Castle! You know what I mean." She pleaded in her defense.

He sat there a while longer, eyes downcast, looking dejected. When he did sneak a glance at her, she was the one now biting her thumbnail and looking worried. When she caught him looking, he couldn't suppress the "gotcha!" grin he'd been holding back.

"You ass!" She reached out and punched him in the arm. He grabbed her before she could retreat and pulled her in for a kiss before any more expletives could escape her lips.

"You love my ass." He teased minutes later when their finally lips parted. "Admit it."

"Never." She breathed into him.

"Well your hand obviously loves my ass."

_Shit! _Somehow, during their impromptu make out session, her left had had found a home in his back pocket. She slid her hand out and pushed off his chest. "Just keeping my hand warm", she lied as she sat back down at the far end of the couch.

"You keep telling yourself that", he mumbled back as he pushed himself up into the opposite end.

"We're digressing here Castle."

"Well then you better watch your language detective." It always turned him on when she uses big words.

"Digress is not a big word."

"It's big enough, and seldom used."

"Anyway." She rolled her eyes at him. "We are getting off topic. Is that better?"

"Much."

"I don't even remember what I was saying now."

"Random method of gift giving that's fun for both of us." He blurted out. He always remembered everything she said. She quit using the PDA features on her phone years ago because he was always there to remind her.

"Any ideas?" She asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. Two ideas popped into my head while you were busy groping me." He wasn't going to let her off easy.

And she wasn't going to take the bait. "So, what are they?"

"First, to make it random, I propose we put chits in a bag with the names of various clothing items, say shirt, pants, socks, etcetera, and what you pull out, that's what you have to get. And second, to make it more interesting, we have to wear our present the day after we receive it. All day."

"I am not going to go to work dressed as up as "naughty nurse"!" She protested.

"Any more than I would want to show up dressed in my "space cowboy" costume. You know I only wear that for you whenever you want to dress up as Lieutenant Chloe."

He made her blush but she quickly recovered. "Ok then, we limit it to one item of clothing only. Better yet, we limit it to an item of clothing people would wear everyday, no work clothes, costumes or uniforms."

"Agreed. And I think we need to keep it confined to clothing regularly worn in the U.S."

"Why?"

"Why? Because I am never, ever wearing a pair of Lederhosen in public."

Kate had to laugh at the image that popped in her head. "Agreed."

"Quit laughing!" He chastised. "And before you even think it…No! I will not wear them in private either."

That only made her snort and laugh some more.

"Fine." She agreed when her laughter subsided. But I think we should amend the gift to anything that someone could wear. Like sunglasses, hats, and jackets. It'll give us more options."

"Ok, but if you want more options, I have a better idea." She huffed at his turn of phrase. "That still includes your idea." He amended.

"Go on."

"The item could be something that was worn as a regular day to day item anytime in the past 100 years."

"100 Years! Castle that's…"

"Only as far back as 1917."

"Hmmmm." She had to think about this for a moment. It would certainly make it interesting. Definately more fun for the giver than the receiver, but the possibilities would be infinite, and you definitely would never know what to expect. What more was there to think about?

Once her decision was made, she got up and stepped over to where he was sitting. She offered him her hand and pulled him up off the couch.

"So", he put his arms around her as he faced her. "Are we in agreement?"

She grabbed his ass with both hands and pulled him closer.

"Oh yeah, I definitely agree."

…

Whoever coined the phrase, "it's better to give than to receive", sure knew what the hell they were talking about. Castle held his present out at arms length. It was loud, it was gaudy, it was dated, and… (he put it to his nose), it smelled of mothballs! He knew this day was coming and he almost regretted starting their new gift giving tradition. Almost. This one was going to be a challenge.

…..

The first year of birthday gifts had been relatively sedate. Partly due to the chits that were pulled from the bag and partly because they were both was hesitant to push the envelope for fear of what might come.

Castle received their first non-traditional gift. It was a pair of socks. Kate ran into trouble trying to find a pair in the little miss section of the department store that would be large enough to fit him. She really wanted to get the pair with the kittens on them, but had to settle for a pair with a lot more stretch.

Giggles and grins quickly ensued when he wore them to work. They had only let Ryan, Lanie and Esposito in on what they were doing, but the bright pink socks soon caught everyone's attention. It was definitely the Rainbows and Unicorns imprinted on the bright pink socks had everyone in stitches, and he had no choice but to explain their gift giving arrangement to nearly everyone in the department. The entire precinct soon heard about it and they all took it as an open invitation to join in. By the end of the day, Castle's chair was loaded with stuffed animals, dolls, toys, candy, some Justin Bieber Cd's, and thorougly plastered with hundreds of cute sparkly stickers.

Kate's first gift sucked because nobody could see it, and people pestered her about it all day. She finally had enough when Officer Barton, who never ever left the evidence room for any reason except to go home, showed up at her desk to ask what she got for her birthday. Everyone, including Castle was surprised when she stood up and raised the hem of her shirt to expose-

"Granny panties! She yelled out for everyone to hear. "Is everyone happy now? He bought me granny panties!" The bright white panties stuck out past her hip hugging slacks, continued on past her natural waistline and stopped just below her boobs. No one laughed. No one said a thing. Silence reigned till they left on their first call of the day, an excruciatingly long hour and a half later.

When they returned to the precinct that evening, they found her desk covered with brochures from AARP, Hoveround and Life Alert, along with an assortment of denture creams, packages of Depends and bottles of Geritol. All she could do was laugh. She also had the last laugh on Castle. She bought six more pairs and wore them to bed every night for a month, until he finally begged her to stop.

Their second gifts were given this last Christmas. Kate gave Castle a monocle, and Castle gave her a black leather bustier he purchased from a biker shop. She thought Castle might balk at the monocle so she included a picture of a distant relative on her father's side of her family wearing one.

Kate never once balked at wearing her bustier. She just layered it over a white long sleeved silk thermal top, and then covered most of it up with a black leather jacket. It made the bustier look like a vest. Castles disappointment was evident when she emerged from their bedroom. And as much as he emphasized it was a bustier at the precinct, everyone agreed…it looked like a vest. The monocle was a big hit though. Everyone had to wear it. He went through two boxes of glass wipes by the end of the day.

Kate couldn't leave Castle totally bummed about her gift. So she had one last birthday present waiting for him when they arrived home. She feigned a chill as they drove home through the snow covered streets, and as they approached the front door to the loft, she asked Castle if he wouldn't mind making her some hot chocolate. He only made it with real milk on the stove, and it would keep him busy for at least fifteen minutes. It would be more than enough time to "set the stage" for her surprise. She helped him get started and then left him alone to slowly stir the warming milk while she went to change into a pair of warm sweats.

When the hot chocolate was ready he pulled it off the burner and gave her a yell. "Hey babe, it's ready!"

He pulled out some mugs but never heard a response. "Kate!" Silence was the only reply.

He couldn't bring it to her. Not after the Breakfast in Bed Fiasco of 2014. They had banned anything other than water in the bedroom after that.

He put his monocle and headed to their bedroom. He'd been dying to try out his Colonel Klink impersonation all day.

"'Liebchen, wo bist du?" You hast better not be foolin' around mit Colonel Hogan!" He opened the bedroom door.

It was a good thing his monocle was attached by a thin chain to his lapel. When he saw what awaited him inside, his eyes flew wide causing the eyepiece to pop off his face. It dangled uselessly at his waist, completely forgotten.

Kate was waiting for him inside. She was dressed in her black leather bustier along with matching leather shorts and a pair of thigh high black leather boots… and she was sitting on-

_What was that doing in their bedroom! How was that in their bedroom!_

She was sitting, sidesaddle on her Harley Softail, holding a short leather riding crop in her hand. The next thought to enter his mind was-

_Why would she need a riding crop on a motorcycle?_

It was the sharp slap of the riding crop on the bikes leather seat and Kate's stern demand of, "_Where's my hot chocolate!" _that made him realize what was happening, or rather, what was about to happen!

The rule from the Breakfast in Bed Fiasco was broken by the time his submission on her softail was over.

…..

Kate was getting impatient. Half the day was gone and Castle still hadn't arrived at the precinct wearing the vintage 1970s' blue and white plaid polyester disco pants that she'd given him for his birthday. He better not chicken out, especially not after the extra special present she'd given his at Christmas. She pulled out her phone, intent on phoning him again. He hadn't answered the last five times she'd called so why would he answer now. She tossed the phone down on her desk and grabbed her empty coffee cup instead. She was well on her way to the break room when cat calls, wolf whistles and peals of laughter came from the direction of the elevator.

She knew who it had to be. Part of her wanted to run and hide, the other part couldn't wait to turn around and look. Oh, she had to look. She'd been waiting all day for this. She could hear the laughter getting closer and she could hear his footsteps as she started to turn around. His hand on her shoulder helped bring her around to face him.

"Hey baby, you lookin' for me?"

He hands involuntarily flew to her mouth in surprise. "Oh my god…Castle!"

He had outdone himself. He wasn't just wearing the pants she'd bought him. He was wearing a complete vintage 1970s' outfit. The plaid pants were accompanied by white patent leather loafers with bright gold buckles across the tops, a wide white leather belt, and a matching white polyester jacket with a vivid silk blue shirt that was unbuttoned halfway down his chest. Two thick gold chains hanging around his neck peaked out from behind the fabric as he moved.

It wasn't the clothes that shocked her as much as it was his appearance. He now had shoulder length hair, and what could only be described as… a 70's porn moustache. The look was completed by a pair of mirrored gold aviator sunglasses.

She lifted off the sunglasses to make sure it _was_ him, and he pulled her in for a kiss before she could protest. The whole place erupted in applause and whistles.

Captain Gates laughed from behind the blinds in her office. She let the ruckus continue on a few more minutes before she interceded.

"What do you think this is Mr. Castle, a costume party?"

He knew it was an act, but she still scared the crap out of him.

"Uh…no sir. It's just uhh…pres…a gift, a birthday gift."

"Well next time can you wear a gift that's less disruptive?" She glanced at the detectives milling about the room. "Get back to work people!"

Once all the detectives had turned away and were pretending to be busy, Captain Gates gave him a quick wink and then headed back into her office. He still couldn't believe that Iron Gates turned out to be such a romantic.

She may have been dismissive about his outfit, but Gates was smart enough to keep Kate out of rotation and stuck at her desk for the rest of the day. They were able to leave around six. Castle begged Kate to let him take his outfit out for one last spin, so she agreed to take him to Remy's for dinner.

It was an interesting dinner. Some people just looked, some laughed and others came over for an autograph even though they didn't know who he was. After being asked multiple times if he was "that guy from Starsky and Hutch", he began signing _David Soul's_ autograph. Towards the end of their dinner he even signed a couple as _Antonio Fargas_ just to see if it mattered. It didn't.

They arrived back on their doorstep, both relieved to be home. Kate couldn't wait to unwind, but Castle…he had other plans for her. He opened the door and let her in. She reached for the light switch...and nothing happened.

"The lights are out."

"You sure? He reached around her and tried the switches. Nothing.

"I know how to flip a light switch Castle." It perturbed her that he'd tried them.

"Sorry. I'll check the breaker panel. Let me get the flashlight out of my nightstand. He felt for her hand. "You coming?"

"Why not."

He stopped to turn on a lamp in the living room on the way. Click. Nothing.

"Just checking." He said.

When he was at the threshold of their bedroom, he stopped short, causing Kate to plow into the back of him. "Hey!" She yelped. "Why did you stop?"

"I want to check the light in here too."

"Need any to help?" She asked sarcastically.

"No." He replied confidently. "I think I've got this."

She heard him flip the switch, and what happened next startled her.

The room was lit up, but not by the soft white light of compact fluorescents. It was lit up by thousands of lights reflecting off a mirror ball hanging from the ceiling of their bedroom.

"Castle wha…?" He placed two fingers on her lips to shush her. He held up a small remote he was holding in his other hand and pressed a button. A rhythmic 70s' beat filled the air as he slipped the remote into his pocket. He took hold of her hands and danced with the music as he led her slowly into the bedroom. She was too confused by what was happening to even resist. As he sat her down on the edge of the bed, the deep mellow voice of Barry White sent a shiver up her spine and couldn't help but smile as Castle began to lip sync.

_I know how to love you_

_I know how to do it to you_

_I know how to make you feel like you want to feel_

_But I can't lose with what use_

Still lip syncing, he began to dance again as the refrain started. It was just a few moves he picked up from watching old YouTube videos of Soul Train. Kate was impressed.

_I'm qualified to satisfy you_

_Any way you want me to_

_I'm qualified to satisfy you_

_Any way you want me too _

_I'm qualified to satisfy you_

_Any way you want me to_

_I'm qualified to satisfy you_

_Any way you want me too_

He danced his way over to her before the last refrain ended. He kneeled at her feet and held her hands as he spoke the next lines aloud.

_Some times you need lovin'_

_Mornin', noon and night_

_Makes no difference when it is_

_My darling it's alright._

He jumped back up and began to dance and lip sync again as he moved to the left side of the room. She turned on the bed to follow him.

_I'm your man and you know I can_

_Make you feel the way you want to_

_Just tell me what you need _

_And that's what I'm gonna' do_

As he finished the last line, his hand reached up and pulled away a dark strip of cloth that had been covering-

_What!_

Kate's hands went to her mouth for a second time in one day. He was now dancing around a floor to ceiling stripper pole installed in their bedroom. _Oh my god! He's giving me a pole dance! _

He definitely wasn't up to Chippendale standards, but in Kate's eyes…he was Fred Astaire, John Holmes and Curly Howard all rolled up into one incredibly amazing man.

He even managed to have all of his clothes off by the time the song ended. He started to remove the fake mustache next, but she stopped him.

"Don't. Leave it on. The hair too."

He sauntered over to the bed and picked up the remote. He pushed another button and changed the music to a mellow instrumental groove. Kate reached out and snagged his hand. "Come here John."

"The name's David, in case you've forgotten." He smoothed down his mustache with his free hand before she tugged him on to the bed. Looks like what she _needed_ tonight was a little role play.

"Oh, I haven't forgotten, Mr. Holmes." She ran her hand down his bare chest.

"Sorry ma'am, but you seem to be mistaken." It was going to be hard for him to role play if she didn't remember the characters names. "I've never played Sherlock Holmes. I was Hutch on Starsky and Hutch."

She leaned in and brushed a kiss across his lips. "I'm seldom, if ever, mistaken."

He pulled cback "Well then who the hell is John Hol…?"

The light bulb in his head went off the same time that the hand on his chest found its way between his legs.

"Oh…OOOOH!" He gave in to her and rolled over on to his back "I'm shutting up now."

"About time."

Castle had an amazing epiphany a short time later.

_Whoever coined the phrase "it's better to give than to receive"…sure the hell didn't know what they were talking about!_

_...Fin..._

* * *

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